Aston Villa’s Boubacar Kamara targeting return to fitness by pre-season

Aston Villa midfielder Boubacar Kamara is targeting a return to fitness in time for the start of pre-season.

Kamara has not played since sustaining a knee injury in the opening stages of Villa’s FA Cup third-round win at Tottenham Hotspur on January 10.

The Athletic revealed the France international would miss the rest of the season and undergo surgery in Lyon a fortnight later. The exact prognosis of the injury
was a tear of the posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) in Kamara’s left knee and not a recurrence of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture he sustained in 2024.

The 26-year-old’s injury was the first of a triple midfield injury blow in as many weeks, with John McGinn and Youri Tielemans also missing a period of the season, which contributed to Villa’s downturn in form. Ultimately, though, Unai Emery’s side went on to qualify for the Champions League and win the Europa League, with Victor Lindelof starting in midfield and in Kamara’s place.

Kamara has been working during the off season at Villa’s training ground, Bodymoor Heath, and is intending to return to playing for the start of pre-season in early July.

This, however, will depend on how Kamara’s recovery continues to progress and how comfortable he feels when accelerating through the various stages that lead to his full return to playing. Villa will monitor Kamara’s rehabilitation on a day-to-day basis.

Kamara has made 123 appearances since joining from Marseille in 2022, scoring three times.